


Baby, The World Is Gone

by hanbeone



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 14:58:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2196165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanbeone/pseuds/hanbeone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Changmin is only looting for food. He doesn't plan on running into anyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby, The World Is Gone

**Author's Note:**

> Fic request/prompt: Changkyu and food.

“Shit,” Changmin curses after dumping all the contents of his bag out on the floor of some shack he’s been held up in for the last couple of days, keeping on the down low from crazy people who think they now run what’s left of the world.

 

He shifts through various tools; rope, a small first aid kit, a change of clothes, matches, a knife, a half filled water canteen, a pocket sized filter, a screwdriver, tape, garbage bags, a flashlight, glow sticks, and empty food wrappers. He scrambles through all of the wrappers and the cans on the table underneath the blacked-out window in hopes of finding scraps of food.

 

Nothing.

 

Changmin had not looted enough food from the abandoned town shops to last the duration of his stay at the current base. And now he will have to head back into town with crazies running rampant just to satisfy his testy stomach.

 

“Shit,” Changmin says again, whilst packing the necessities back into his backpack. He leaves out a black face mask, straps the knife around his thigh, and clips the flashlight to the waistband of his pants. He kind of wishes that he can take the whole bag with him, but all of its contents will only weigh him down if he’s forced into a situation where it’s fight or flee. Changmin usually opts for the latter option.

 

So stuffing his bag into the single cupboard for safe keeping and fastening the face mask securely over his mouth and nose, Changmin exits from his tiny makeshift haven and into a rundown world.

 

It had only been weeks- 2 and a half months- since the Great Fall. A.K.A: the crash of technology, shortage of oil, rise of terrible air quality, and a disease that has claimed over 2/3rds of the world’s population. Those who were lucky to not die from the disease were smart enough to retreat away from large cities, into the wild and smaller towns to stay away from the heavily contaminated zones.

 

Changmin is one of those lucky people, on his way to one of the rumoured safe zones with a working military in the East. It’s a far shot, still at least a week away, but it’s the best he’s got.

 

The air is thick around him, giving off a sensation likes it’s weighing his body down, and the sun is blazing. Sunburns these days occur much faster and at a higher brutality- Changmin had discovered the hard way. So now he takes every precaution to keep as much skin covered with out over heating his body. And without a mask over your face to filter out the fowl air, you’d be curled up on the ground, lungs screaming in protest as you start to cough up blood within hours of being exposed. Again, Changmin had learned this hard way. Thankfully, indoors proves to be much better.

 

It’s a delicate balance, survival. Either adapt, or die. Simple as that and Changmin believes that he is doing a darn good job seeing as how he’s still able to wake up kicking every day.

 

Changmin sticks to staying off road and out of sight of anyone wandering around as a precaution because all the survivors in the area appeared to be pretty screwed up in the head. Just two days ago Changmin had witnessed a shooting over supplies. He’d run away and stumbled upon the shack before anyone was any the wiser about his presence.

 

The grocery store that Changmin enters into is one that he has already looted before, the majority of windows shattered, glass everywhere, the stench of soiled produce strong, though there is plenty of canned goods and wrapped food in the stock room. Changmin turns on his flashlight when he’s far enough inside that the sun is no longer enough to light his way, and he unsheathes his knife while silently praying that no one is going to jump him.

 

No one does.

 

Changmin quickly makes his way into the stock room, where there are fortunately little windows near the ceiling which leaves little use for the flashlight so he clips it onto his pants once again. Locating a stack of large rice sacks, Changmin cuts one open and pours the contents out. It will make a good bag to carry the food back in.

 

The young man gets to work on filling the bag, first with packages of ramen, granola bars, a small bag of oats, and some canned goods. It’s when Changmin is debating on whether he should go for an extra can of carrots or tuna, that he hears the crunching of broken glass from behind him.

 

Changmin whips around, his knife held out in defence, to meet the barrel of a gun. He gulps, eyeing long, nicely shaped fingers holding the handle and pressed lightly to the trigger. Then he looks past the piece of cold metal to see a face half hidden by a mask, dark eyes watching him cautiously.

 

“What, are you going to shoot me over rice bags?” Changmin asks, a waver and anxiety clear in his words.

 

The stranger is shorter; black hair tied up in a half ponytail; clothes scruffy just like Changmin’s own; a bloody cloth wrapped around his left bicep and over a long sleeve shirt; dirt on the visible part of his face. Changmin notices the tremors in the guy’s right hand and has the mind to think that this guy looks like he has been through hell and back.

 

“What are you going to do, stab me?” The male’s voice is hoarse, like he’s gone too long without water. “Or beat me with the canned fish? I’m the one with a gun.”

 

Fair point, Changmin notes, but keeps his knife in position. “Are you one of them?”

 

“Who?”

 

“One of the mental people running around.”

 

The stranger cocks his head to the side in calculation, the gun wavering in his grip. “Are you sick?”

 

“No,” Changmin answers. He sighs in relief when the gun is lowered completely and shoved into the holster that is slung over the guy’s abdomen. “Are you?”

 

The male shakes his head no and looks around the large room. “You’re alone.”

 

“I am,” Changmin confirms and pulls down his mask to rest against his chin. The other male copies him. “You really look like shit.”

 

“You’re one to talk,” the male snaps.

 

Changmin merely shrugs his shoulders because he does, in fact, look rather roughed up. Sweat and dirt is coagulated all over Changmin’s body. And he'd kill to soak in a hot bubble bath right now. Well, not kill per se. He's just really bloody desperate.

 

“As long as you aren’t looking for trouble-“

 

“Just food,” The male quickly interrupts. He lifts his arm slowly, indicating towards the poorly tended wound. “And to find something for this.”

 

“What happened?” Changmin asks.

 

“They shot at me. Last night, when I arrived in town. I tripped and cut my arm while running away.”

 

Changmin asks to take a look, explains that his old roommate was in medical school and that he knows a few things. The other grants him permission so Changmin cuts the double layer of material free from the wound. It's not too bad, as long as they prevent it from infection, which is something that he can easily do.

 

“There's an in-store pharmacy,” Changmin states, “I can fix this up for you.”

 

“Please, but food first.” The male looks around with hunger blazing in his eyes but the only thing in their immediate surroundings is canned goods.

 

“When did you eat last?”

 

The guy shrugs. “Two days ago...Maybe three. I lost track of time.”

 

Changmin can relate to that. Probably a lot of people can. When you're so focused on surviving in a harsh environment, somewhere between trekking, looting, eating, and sleeping, the days blur and tangle together.

 

The male rips into the granola bar that Changmin gives him from the sack, devouring it in seconds while Changmin watches with an inkling of fascination.

 

“Got any water in there?” the male asks, letting the wrapper flutter to the floor.

 

Changmin shakes his head. “There's some bottles scattered around the store though.”

 

A minute later the two of them are making their way through the trashed isles of the supermarket with Changmin leading the way, flashlight on, and a burlap sack filled with food slung over his shoulder. The stranger does find a bottle of water, and is gulping it back as Changmin directs him behind the counter of the pharmacy.

 

The stranger hops up onto the counter and waits for Changmin to gather the required items which takes a while thanks to the only light source being the flashlight and medical supplies being tossed around.

 

“Can I have you're name?” the stranger asks, his voice no longer hoarse- rather warm.

 

“Errm...yeah. I'm Changmin.”

 

“My name is Kyuhyun,” the other tells Changmin, accepting the flashlight to hold in his right hand so that Changmin can sterilize his hands with antiseptic. “Thanks for doing this.”

 

“It's not a problem, Kyuhyun,” Changmin hums. “People like us, who aren't insane and attempt to murder others in cold blood, we have to look out for each other. Brace yourself- this shit stings.”

 

Kyuhyun hisses and bites his tongue a little too hard, perhaps kicking Changmin as well, but the other man doesn't seem to have minded. Antiseptic stings like a bitch. “I don't need stitches?”

 

“No, just a proper bandage,” Changmin replies, dabbing and applying pressure to Kyuhyun's wound to stop the miniscule blood flow that had started when the dried blood was washed away.

 

“Oh thank god,” Kyuhyun sighs in relief.

 

“My stitching is rusty anyway,” Changmin chuckles lowly. “So where are you coming from?”

 

“The East.”

 

Changmin stiffens, glancing at the dramatic shadows cast on Kyuhyun's face, and he swallows. “Isn't that safe land? Why- why would you leave?”

 

“Safe?” Kyuhyun repeats, face draining of colour. “No,no,no it's a wasteland. Nothing is left except for military personal keeping all remaining supplies for themselves.”

 

“But the emergency broadcast said-”

 

“Everything is destroyed, Changmin. Nothing's left. Those safe camps? I was in one- flooded out by torrential rain, the disease and poor conditions. Believe me, you don't want to go there.” Kyuhyun says sharply, trying to imprint how hopeless it is for Changmin to go there.

 

Changmin nods his head in understanding and gets back to dressing Kyuhyun's wound. His hands are shaky as he tears open a package of gauze and squeezes out some ointment. “Where are you headed now?”

 

“North is the best shot, near the mountains, away from heavily polluted cities, higher ground that is safe from flash floods,” Kyuhyun responds.

 

Changmin secures the bandage on Kyuhyun's arm while mulling over his words. They could go together, Changmin thinks. Survival is better in numbers. And Kyuhyun sounds like he has a brilliant mind- definitely something that will be useful to keep around. Changmin is going crazy from loneliness. They could could have that- each other for company.

 

Uncapping a bottle water, Changmin rinses Kyuhyun's blood from his hands, deciding the best way to go about asking without sounding like some creep.

 

“How's your arm?”

 

Kyuhyun scrunches up his face and moves his arms around a little, calculating the damage. “Better- feels clean now and-” The male cuts his words short, ears picking up faint voices from somewhere in the dark.

 

Flicking off the flashlight, Kyuhyun launches off the counter and onto Changmin, bringing them both to the cold floor, his arms cradling Changmin's head in such a way that it won't smack off the floor.

 

Kyuhyun covers Changmin's mouth before the other can even process what is happening. “Shh, just listen.”

 

Changmin obeys. The sound of footsteps, crunching glass, and multiple voices become crystal clear. His heart pounds and he feels Kyuhyun's body tense around him, muscles stiff with fear. And he ought to be. These people did try killing him after all.

 

Kyuhyun moves his hand away from Changmin's mouth to tangle in his knotty hair, pressing as close as possible to the body beneath him, puffing hot air against Changmin's neck. Even though the current situation is less then pleasant, Changmin cannot deny how nice it feels to have somebody who's radiating warmth into his cold bones. It feels like forever ago since that has happened.

 

Changmin hears the voices grow louder, Kyuhyun's chest thumping against his. It's too dark to make any shapes out, and they are tucked behind a counter, out of sight, not making a sound. So unless someone decides they are in need of pills or something and comes over with a flashlight, Changmin is certain that him and Kyuhyun will go unnoticed. But just in case...

 

Changmin lifts his hands to rub soothingly up and down Kyuhyun's sides. The tension eases only a tad and Kyuhyun is still clinging to him like a barnacle, but it's a lot better then having the life slowly squeezed out of him. Wedging a hand between them, Changmin is able to get a grip of the gun that's digging uncomfortably into his ribs and pulls it free from the harness. Then he slings his equipped arm around Kyuhyun's shoulder and silently shifts them so that they are sitting, prepared if somebody does find them.

 

“We'll be fine, Kyuhyun,” Changmin whispers, his lips brushing against Kyuhyun's ear.

 

And Changmin's right, they will be okay.

 

After the coast is clear they will sneak back to Changmin's safe house. They will eat the best meal that Kyuhyun has had in over a week. They will clean the accumulated sweat and dirt from their bodies to the best of their abilities with only a bucket of cold water and a cloth to use.

 

Changmin will end up kissing Kyuhyun at some point during the night. Kyuhyun will ask for more and Changmin will give without a second thought because neither of them have been this close to another living being in so long.

 

Then they will wake up in the morning tangled together under one blanket. They will dress and eat again before Kyuhyun asks Changmin to travel north with him. Changmin will answer yes, and together, Kyuhyun and Changmin will search for a new life.

 

Both of them will be alright.

 


End file.
